Candy from the Trolley
by Essalinn
Summary: Because life is just like a mixed bag of candy, isn't it? Sour, sweet, awful, wonderful - all together in one bag. A collection of oneshots, mostly canon, rated T.
1. Scare

**This is my project for hopefully the next few months. I have the craziest ideas, but they're never nearly long enough for a full-length story (nor am I focused & patient enough). So I thought I should compile all my various ideas into sometimes-short, sometimes-long drabbles. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Muggles call it a _cinema_." Even the word seems to strike fear into Lily's heart, and she stares horrifiedly at the knowledgeable speaker. Rose stifles a smile at the expression on her cousin's face.

James scoffs and pushes ahead of them. "How can moving pictures be scary? It'll just be like watching a big photograph."

Rose shrugs and walks after him, leaving Lily, Louis, and Hugo to collect their courage. "I'll hold your hand if you get scared, Lil," Lou offers kindly. She smiles at him gratefully, and Hugo wonders if it would be awkward to request the same treatment.

"You're just all a bunch of scaredy Kneazles," James sniffs as they catch up to him at the counter. Rose rolls her eyes and hands over Muggle money to pay for their tickets, being the only one who ever learned the exchange.

"Theatre thirteen," the gum-chewing attendant says, smiling lasciviously at James. He shudders and hurries to catch up with the rest.

It took a lot to convince their parents (Uncle Ron especially) to let them come, and Lily decides she ought to suck it up and just watch this moving picture contraption.

_two hours later_

"Oh my goodness," Louis gasps as they stagger out of their seats, led by a completely calm Rose. "Did you see when the ghost-lady-"

Lily whitens. "Don't even start. I am going to have so many nightmares tonight."

Even James seems shaken. "Is that what Muggles think ghosts are like? If Nearly Headless Nick looked anything like that broad in the house I think I'd wet myself every time I sat down for dinner."

Rose looks thoughtful. "You know, I thought the main bloke looked rather like Uncle Harry.."

* * *

**Liked it? Hated it? I want to hear what you thought of it! Leave me a review, and if you have an idea for a drabble, leave that too. I'll write just about anything, except for full on lemons because I'm terrible at those. But that does mean any generation and any **_**canon**_** pairing (except I might could do you a Neville/Luna). In case you didn't catch on, the group went to see Woman in Black ;)**


	2. Shine

**Thank you for reading. This one was inspired slightly by a song, but if I tell you which one it'll color your opinion. So just read, okay? (:**

* * *

The ribbon falls apart in her fingers. _Granddad Weasley my ass, _she thinks acidly, remembering that one day all those years ago. When her father had told her not to fall in love with a Malfoy, because her grandfather would never forgive her.

As if by Celestina Warbeck's design, she and Scorpius have fallen into that hilariously damned love. And instead of her Grandad (who has been surprisingly complacent with the idea) it is her father who has the biggest problem with their relationship. And it makes her angry, angrier than anything else ever has. Angry enough to bite back hot tears at the back of her throat. It takes a lot for Rosie to cry.

So she sits in Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's attic, the first place she flees to when she can't stand being in her father's presence anymore. Aunt Ginny has already come up to offer what comfort she has, but being as remarkably prescient as she is, understands that Rose needs to be left alone. Little baby Lily (Rose can never think of her any other way) pokes her head in every now and then, offering a shoulder to cry on. But Rosie doesn't need help from anyone, least of all her younger cousin.

She finds herself looking through a wedding album, one that she confuses for Aunt Ginny's at first, with the similar looking black haired man and his redhead wife. But she quickly realizes that it is Uncle Harry's parents instead, and the pages have yellowed with age.

Staring at the pages and fingering the green satin ribbon pinned to a page, she hears a thump below. Her eyes have just traveled to the attic door when her father bursts in and stops three feet from her. He's never been too good at emotional encounters, she muses in a surprisingly affectionate way. Maybe that's where she gets it from.

It takes him a second to collect his courage. "Rosie.." But it's too late. She's crossed the room and pretended she's a little girl again, if only to feel her father's arms around her once again.

* * *

**That did not turn out at all how I planned. But I guess nothing ever does.**


	3. Worst

Remus Lupin has decided to never let anything surprise him, after that one horrifying October night. But as he has discovered so many times before, life usually has its own idea of surprise.

Most teachers don't ride the Hogwarts Express to their first day on the job; but most teachers are not informed that very day that they have received the job. Besides, Remus thought it might be a good idea to ride with the students, as there were certain _people_ out that he thought extremely harmful.

But he had resolved never to think of one certain person again, and amidst the haze of half-formed thoughts formed in his sleepy brain as he dragged his trunk on the train, he had the idea that their ought to be another person he was thinking of. But unused to being awake at this ungodly hour of half-past ten, his mind discarded the thought as he sank into the cushy chair of the compartment.

The next time he awakes, it is only for a short time as he sees a mass of bushy brown hair through a crack in his eyelids. The high voice ("That's obvious. There's only one vacant position - Defense Against the Dark Arts.") rings in his ears momentarily, but he has drifted off to sleep before the thought that they are talking about him becomes too coherent.

And then, quite suddenly, he feels a chill of cold air creeping up his spine. _Dementors. _The word lingers in his brain briefly, before giving way to that one horrible night - the night where he became the monster he is now. Terrifying images of Greyback and of his own blood-spattered clothes slide as if on a projection back on forth, shaking him into consciousness. For a split second, he hears his mother's weeping, which jolts him into complete wakefulness. He hears childish voices hissing back and forth at each other, and he demands silence in what he hopes is a firm voice.

He conjures a handful of his favored bluebell flames, lighting up the teenagers' faces. He sees the girl with the bushy brown hair, a tall, freckled boy with red hair and a girl who can only be his sister with matching fiery hair and a scared expression. Next to her, the eerily familiar round face and wide eyes of a plump boy greet him. The final occupant of the car stares at him unabashedly, and it is this that scares Lupin most of all.

_James_. He is one breath from saying it, before he realizes that James never had shocking green eyes of that precise shade and shape.

He quickly realizes that he needs to investigate, and instructing Harry - a name that he finds hard to even think- and the rest of the compartment to stay where they are, he reaches for the handle. Before he can touch it, it slides open of its own accord and he is met with the shadowy cloak of a Dementor.

But this time, instead of thinking of the night he was bitten, he remembers the day that four of his best friends were lost to him - whether in mind or body. The day that the terrified boy in front of him will regard as one of the most horrible days of his life.

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**I didn't much like the ending. But anyways, I realized upon rereading (PA chapter 5) that Harry & co. are not affected by the dementors until one actually arrives in the compartment - but let's just say that Lupin is a bit more attuned to the signs, and therefore the results.**

**Thank you for reading !**


	4. Record

"Louis is in _love_, Lil, be a bit more sensitive."_  
_

"Don't bother him, Lucy, he's dreaming about his_ girlfriend_."

"Who you writing to, Lou? Oops, I already know!"

Jeez. You go on one Hogsmeade date with a pretty girl and suddenly she's your girlfriend? Maybe I wouldn't mind so much if she was, but I think Charlotte's proved often enough that she definitely does not want to be any more tied to me than she already is.

So I just have to endure taunts and jeers from my family (all in the name of cousinly love, of course), and watch Lottie's perfect blonde hair sway in the breeze in front of me in Charms.

Merlin's pants, no wonder James teases me so much. Is that really what I sound like? I sound girlier than Lily did when Teddy and Vic started dating..

I guess I just have to forget about her. Forget about those really pretty brown eyes that always seem to light up whenever I imitate Slughorn's laugh in Potions..

Good god, I'm so thankful that James doesn't have one of those Muggle contraptions recording my thoughts.

Or maybe he does. You never can tell with cousins.

* * *

**Aaaah, I love Lou so much! This was written in first person because I like the sound of Lou's voice in my head. Well, that and it is an excuse for not always using perfect grammar. **

**Don't worry, you won't be seeing the last of Lottie or Louis's feelings for her!**

**Thank you for reading!**


	5. Surprise

They _knew _they didn't want any accidental children. Maybe it was a crude word for what most parents preferred to call "happy surprises", but they both knew better. She knew that no one had a little girl practically ten years after their first child, and he knew that most of his siblings were unplanned.

Their daughters were perfect - looking like each other enough that they got the occasional "you _must_ be twins" and yet different enough that they had their own very different personalities. A golden blonde head and an orange-red head were the only ones he needed to see around the house in the morning.

And then, when their daughters were still small enough to be cute, Fleur told him she had some news. He didn't have to wonder what it was - there hadn't been much to worry about for almost eight years.

When Lou was born, Bill finally understood why he had six siblings.

As much as he had worried that poor Louis Charles Weasley would suffer from lack of affection from either parent, all of it dissipated as soon as he saw that little silvery blonde head. He couldn't imagine ever denying his son anything.

And now Bill was certain he had all the children he ever needed to wake up to.

* * *

**Kind of random, just something I thought of when I was supposed to be sleeping..**

**Thank you for reading!**


	6. Distractions

Do you ever feel like you don't understand your own life?

Oh sweet Merlin I sound like one of Molly's muggle books. I think it's so weird that she reads those. All of them are about poor damsels in distress that need help from the strong sweet male character to raise their child or make a living or exist. Or it's a "strong" female character who is such a ditz, Leanne Madley would get more OWLs than she would.

Leanne Madley. This is all her fault, I swear on Uncle Fred's grave. I'm not supposed to say that, but if he was like they all say he was, then I don't think he'd mind. Not that I'd ever say that around Grandmum or anyone.

But I'm getting distracted. As usual. My whole entire family makes fun of me. "Oi Lily! Get your fat head out of the clouds!" So maybe that's just Roxy who says that, Granddad just sort of smiles at me and taps me on the shoulder.

But _anyways_. Today in Potions Professor Slughorn fell asleep, and of course none of us woke the poor old man up out of concern for his health. Right. I mean we're all stressed over OWLs, we need a break. _  
_

Grant Marchbanks sits next to me, and I pretend that I don't think he has the bluest eyes I've ever seen. He smiles at me a lot. Roxy doesn't like him but he is definitely the cutest boy in our year. He's not the nicest to poor little Nigel Barton but no one really is. Except Rose, but Rose is nice to everyone.

So Grant was telling me a joke about a hag. I don't really remember how it went, but from the look on his face I assumed it must have been pretty funny, so I laughed at all the right places and tossed my hair naturally.

Leanne Madley walked over, leaned on the desk, and batted her eyelashes so much that I was surprised they didn't fall out. Even Hugo noticed how fake they are. She said, "Oh, Grant? Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Grant was obviously distracted by the way her black and yellow tie was coming undone, and his eyes were fixed on it as he replied, "Oh, yeah, of course. Why?"

I was fuming. I happened to know on very good authority that she's seeing Lionel Brooks, and she has no business hitting on my Grant. Not that he's really mine. But he could be.

I don't much remember what happened after that, I was too busy plotting Madley's unfortunate, mysterious death. But I did gather that they made a date for that Saturday. I pretended not to care, and secretly hoped my face wasn't turning as red as my hair (from suppressed anger).

Well, it wasn't that suppressed. Leanne may have left class with a curly pink tail. Hagrid taught me that one.

* * *

**I hope that made any sense to you at all. Lily Luna's brain is a bit muddled sometimes, and I know you might think she sounds like as much of a ditz as the romance novel protagonists she scoffs at, but do remember she is fifteen (and not quite as mature as her cousin Rose). But don't worry, she'll even out as she gets older. She isn't quite as stupid as she sounds..at least not most of the time.**

**Thank you for reading!**

**xx Ella**


	7. Moment

It was times like these that Andromeda considered that maybe the Black family wasn't so bad.

Narcissa was going to Hogwarts tomorrow, and it was as if Bella had decided to be friendly just to preserve the last remnant of Cissy's blissfully ignorant childhood. Even at fourteen Bella was a force to be reckoned with, but tonight she seemed to have forgotten about all the dark secrets Andromeda knew she had.

They were sprawled over Cissy's bed, reading Teen Witch Weekly and giggling about all the cute (pureblood) boys featured in it. Narcissa had always been confident and sure of her place, but the thought of school in the morning had unsettled her; Andy had come into her room to comfort her, and Bella, looking for a hairbrush**,** had joined them later.

Now the Black sisters were together in a way they hadn't been since before Bella went to school. They had grown apart after that, Andy and Narcissa together for those brief two years, before the youngest was left alone again.

In a way it seemed to be completely removed from Andy's current life; no worrying about blood status or grades or the Hufflepuff muggleborn that if Bella asked, she was not friends with; just her and her sisters, as it had been before Hogwarts. Before Bella had changed so much. Before she herself had changed so much.

Cissy's pale blue eyes are lit up in excitement. She is snuggled between her sisters, and laughs with them, pretending to understand the clever jokes Andy makes and the snide comments Bella mutters. "Look at that giant Dorea Potter; where does she buy her clothes, Toofats and Fattings?"

"Oh, Trixy, you don't mean that!" It is a comment that falls from her mouth unexpectedly, as she tosses her blonde hair back in an attempt to be just like her big sister. And in that moment, before anything else, Andy wishes she could freeze time. She wishes she could just stop, and enjoy the moment when Narcissa is not pretending to be much older than she is, when Bella is being civil, and when she herself is relaxed. But too soon, it ends.

Bella's eyes flash at the long forgotten nickname. "Do I look like a dog to you?" she snarls. "DON'T call me that!" She snatches her magazine and stomps out of the room, somehow still managing to be a pureblood princess as she does so.

Narcissa's eyes fill with tears, making her look more cherubic than she already does. Andy wraps an arm around her. murmuring promises that she knows Bella will never keep.

There are times when Andromeda thinks maybe the Black family isn't so bad; but they end much too soon.

* * *

**According to the Harry Potter Lexicon, Narcissa was born in 1955 and Bellatrix was born in 1951. Andromeda's is before 1955, and I always assumed she was younger than Bellatrix, so for the purposes of this drabble her birth year is 1953. That would make this story set in 1966.  
I hope you enjoyed. It was a bit strange to write this; I feel like Andy's thoughts are more somber than most of the other girls her age. Definitely a sharp contrast between her and Lily Luna of the last chapter.  
Thank you for reading!  
xx Ella**


	8. Compartment

The Hogwarts Express was preparing to leave for yet another eventful year of school; September 1, 1976.

In the front compartment a redheaded girl was sitting perfectly straight, waiting for the prefect meeting to start. She stared straight ahead, as if she could not see the pleading gaze of the stringy-haired boy sitting across from her. A sandy haired boy appeared to be very interested in the ceiling of the compartment, despite it having been the same that he had seen for six years.

A few compartments back housed a round faced girl and her boyfriend, a tall brunette seventh year. They held hands, smiling, and listened as a blonde haired girl regaled them with a tale of her eventful summer in Rome. She was interrupted when a black haired boy burst into their compartment, smiling rakishly. "Oi, McKinnon, ready for our yearly hookup?"

The blonde girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Unless your hand is named McKinnon, I suggest you leave."

The black haired boy roared with laughter, his handsome features contorting into a broad grin not unlike a dog's. "Don't worry, my hand and I meet up much more often than that. "

The blonde haired girl pressed her lips together, holding in the laughter. "Okay, Sirius. You can stay." The boy smiled, sliding into the seat next to her and giving her a casual kiss on the lips. She rolled her eyes and continued the story, her hand entwined in his.

Still further, much closer to the back of the train, a skinny black-haired boy and his chubby blonde friend could be found lazing in the red velvet seats together, chatting aimlessly and feeling unfinished with two companions missing.

The sixth years of 1976 were a strange bunch, at once too mature for their age but also often acting their shoe size. They seemed to mix and intertwine with each other as smooth as silk, and were also regular teenagers, embarrassed around the opposite sex (and for some, the same).

* * *

The Hogwarts Express in the year of 1996 outwardly looked the same as it always had. The black and red steamer puffed along as it prepared to leave, as usual, but inside was a completely different story.

A pretty redheaded girl chased after a taller boy, laughing as she did so. She didn't seem to notice the appreciative stares from boys she passed; she had only ever cared about one boy's opinion. Well, occasionally that was two boys, but she was working on that.

A black-haired boy walked down the aisle, still shuddering at all the unwanted attention he was now so used to getting. His fringe covered the lightning scar that no one had to seek out anymore; his identity was confirmed. He avoids the eyes of a pretty black-haired seventh year, instead focusing on sitting with a blonde girl and a familiarly round-faced boy, in the same compartment his father sat in twenty years ago.

A bushy haired girl and a gangly redhead boy argue all the way to the prefect meeting, in fact almost missing the compartment.

Closer to the middle of the train a pale boy with a pointed face has no idea what his friends are talking about. He makes haughty remarks and keeps his expression perfectly disinterested. But his thoughts are frantic, rushing through his mind, filling him with anxiety.

All over the train there are knots of people whispering about You-Know-Who. There is no threat in the near future, and yet the thought forces the students to keep their voices low and their gazes constantly looking over their shoulders.

The sixth years of 1996 were at once like and unlike their predecessors. Their one unique quality was their alertness; no previous class at Hogwarts had been so fearful and worried for themselves and their friends. Both those on the side of and against Voldemort, purebloods, halfbloods, and muggleborns were all on edge, for the train ride and the rest of the year.

* * *

The year of 2024 brought yet another peaceful start of term for the many families sending their teenagers off to Hogwarts. They boarded the scarlet steam engine, the train that had held so many secrets and so many revelations, so many truths and so many lies.

A pretty redhead, so much like her mother and her grandmother before her (and yet completely different) boarded the train in excitement, holding her leather satchel in front of her as she ran to find her boyfriend. Spotting his familiar, shaggy brown hair down the aisle, she dashes towards him, not noticing the shorter blonde head in front of him. As she catches up to him, a scream of "MADLEY!" is heard through the train, all the way to the conductor, as once again the blonde is on the wrong end of the redhead's intense fury. And once again her boyfriend escapes blame.

Her cousins in a compartment down the hall hear the yell, but understand to leave the screamer alone for a bit. She will come back, she always does. The curly ginger haired girl and her younger blonde sister sit close together, across from the quiet brown haired boy. Getting ready to leave for the prefect meeting is also a girl with thick strawberry blonde hair, a Head Girl badge pinned next to her Gryffindor tie.

Before she can open the compartment door, it is slid open for her, the redhead bursting in with angry tears streaming down her face. The Head Girl gives the brown haired boy a pleading look; he nods tiredly, as if to say, "I'll take this one." As he usually does.

The Head Girl leaves, paying no mind to the black haired boy sitting across the corridor. He gazes into the compartment across from himself, catching a brief glimpse of shining hazel eyes and a mass of red hair. He continues to sketch, adding longer hair to the drawing of the girl in front of him.

A darker skinned girl, with shiny black hair, joins the cousins in their compartment, dragging along her extremely tall boyfriend.

The sixth and seventh years of 2024 were more carefree than others; they saw no threat in their current lives and were free to pursue regular teenage activities without the fear of a Dark Lord hanging over their heads. They did not completely understand what their parents and grandparents had done for them to live like this, and hopefully never would.

* * *

**This is the longest so far. It started out as just the next generation one, but I added the previous two to flesh out the story a bit more. I hope it all made sense! The first two should be relatively self-explanatory, with canon characters and canon descriptions (except, of course, Marlene McKinnon, but I always see her as a blonde). **

**In the last, it's Dominique (not Victoire) who is Head Girl. I should think Lily would be obvious, and if there's anyone else who confuses you, please ask; I just don't think I should give it all away here.**

**Thank you for reading! **

**xx Ella**


	9. Scream

"And I don't know how you could possibly think it would bother me that I saw you snogging Katy Healy outside the Great Hall!"

When Rose got angry, she got _angry_. _  
_

People could talk about her mum's temper, or Grandmum Molly's temper, or Auntie Ginny's temper - but none of them came close to Rose's.

Unfortunately for him, Scorpius was often on the wrong end of this temper. Currently he was standing outside the Gryffindor common room, eyes shut while Rose screamed at him for what had started as copying her Potions essay, but had evolved into a screaming fit meant to get out all of the pent up sexual tension that they had been harboring for almost seven years now.

Hey, might as well admit it. It wasn't like everyone and their mother didn't already know that Rose and Scorpius were always arguing for a reason.

Scorpius finally sighed, opening his mouth and his eyes at the same time, looking at a livid Rose with her normally sleek hair curling like crazy. That had to be an abnormality - how many people had hair that was affected by their _temper, _of all things?

"Rose, that wasn't me."

"Don't even TRY to make any excuses, you - what?"

"Katy Healy is dating Marcus Robinson. He happens to have blonde hair and be about my height."

"Oh, well - that's just - okay. You still had no right to copy my mugwort essay - do you KNOW how long that took to write?!"

"Thirty nine minutes, not counting the sixteen minutes you spent laughing at my stupid jokes."

Before her bright blue eyes can stare at him for too long, he kisses her.

Hey, might as well make it official, right?

* * *

**Not my favorite.. I love Rose and Scorpius, but I'm not a big fan of this one. **

**Sorry for being gone so long, my lovelies.. I have about a million ideas for oneshots, however (:**

**Thank you for reading!**

**xx Ella**


	10. Red

Lily Evans _hated_ her hair. Not in the usual teenage girl way - "Oh I hate my hair!" said to get compliments about how beautiful it really is.

She hated it because it set her apart from her blonde family even more. Not only did she have to be magic, but she had to have deep reddish hair. At least people couldn't see her magical ability.

Petunia's hair was thin, sleek, and pale blonde. It did whatever she wanted it to do, and never frizzed up in the rain or stuck straight up when she removed her hat. Patricia Evans had the same color hair, but hers was thick and beautifully curly. Lily couldn't think of a day in her life when her mother's hair hadn't been utterly perfect, looking like something out of a shampoo advert. Even her father had a full head of dark blonde hair at 52.

Lily's hair enjoyed doing what it wanted. When she wanted it to curl, it lay flat and limp. When she needed it to be straight and not bother her, it would be a wildly curling mess. When Mary McDonald taught her a spell to straighten hair, she had excitedly ran to her dorm to try it out.. only to visit Madame Pomfrey ten minutes later with horns growing from her head - and frizzy, wavy, nasty hair.

Lily even envied James' hair. At least it looked good, even if it did go a bit wild. If she didn't spend at least an hour on her hair every day, she would look like the Bride of Frankenstein - and although she would never tell him, James was much too cute to be called Frankenstein. Not that he would even know who that was, but Lily sure did.

Strangely enough, it wasn't until Harry was born that Lily began to like her hair. She had been worried throughout her pregnancy that she would have a girl with the same color and texture hair that she had, so when Harry was born with a thick head of dark hair, she was incredibly relieved.

But he was obsessed with her hair. Even as a three and four month old baby, he would grab her hair every time he got the chance, and found it more fun to play with than any of his fancy wizarding toys.

Lily finally lost patience and cut her hair to her chin to prevent the pain that came every time Harry pulled at her thick red hair - but the damage was done; Lily could never think of changing her hair again, because her baby boy loved it so much.

* * *

**I actually kind of like this one. If only I had hair like Lily's..**

**Look at that, you got two updates in ten minutes. You should be glad I'm going on break soon, because I have so many more ideas (:**

**Thank you for reading!**

**xx Ella**


	11. Rainbow

The only thing she could think was _he always does this._

It was something completely inconsequential. He had probably forgotten to turn the stove off in his haste to make her dinner. But she had blown up at him, and his hair had turned six shades of purple as he apologized profusely.

But she had continued, unrelenting, until finally he had closed up like a clam.

There was no response to anything she said - only his wide brown eyes staring at her mournfully.

She began to apologize - her mood swings lately had been crazier than usual.. It wasn't her period, she was sure of it.

But whatever it was, it was making her fight with Teddy - her Teddy, the sweet boy who wouldn't hurt a fly - incessantly. And she hated it.

But after a certain point, he just didn't listen. It made her feel awful to see how much pain he was feeling, but he didn't express it.

Victoire sat curled up on the window seat in their bedroom, watching the rain.

Rain made her gloomy.. And on top of everything it was Valentine's Day.

Ever since Victoire was five years old Valentine's Day had been her favorite holiday, but now that she had been married just barely nine months she -

Her thoughts suddenly ceased and one single word came to the forefront of her mind.

Teddy was puttering around in the kitchen, meaning he had gotten over his silence. She ran down the stairs, trying not to trip in her excitement.

She burst through their swinging door, seeing Teddy, boiling water for tea, look up at her in surprise that quickly melted into sorrowful affection.

"Vicky-"

"Teddy - I- I'm _pregnant._"

Teddy tried for years after that, but he could never make his hair turn into a rainbow - suddenly, spectacularly - like he did at that minute.

* * *

**Happy Valentine's Day! **

**I love Teddy/Victoire almost as much as I love reviews.**

**Hope you had a good day, filled with all kinds of love..**

**Thank you for reading!**

**xx Ella**


	12. Bet

"Well maybe if you weren't such a -"

"Such a what? I want you to finish that sentence!"

"Oh, like you're such a saint, Evans, I saw you -"

"Let's not get into the subject of who's been doing what, Potter! I suggest you shut your fat mouth this instant, you prat!"

Lily's eyes were flashing, her hair having escaped its neat ponytail and flying about her face. She towered over a seated James, who was leaning forward, his glasses slipping off his nose.

"I am so sick of you! Don't even think about looking at me ever again!"

"Not like that's a problem.."

"Oh, i could just kill you!"

_**"SHUT UP!" **_Both Lily and James shut their mouths, Lily falling back on her heels and James leaning back against his chair, watching an uncharacteristically aggravated Alice Prewett stalk towards them.

"If I have to hear one more word from either of you, you aren't going to have a voice on Monday morning! Is it so impossible to be even slightly civil to each other?"

As if by a Portkey, Sirius Black showed up right next to Alice, a creepy grin on his face.

Before he could say anything, Alice growled, "No, Sirius! No bets. Marlene, control your damn boyfriend!"

Marlene McKinnon was snoring, her head on Peter Pettigrew's lap.

"Don't bother her, Ally, she's taking double classes this year. Anyways, what do you two say we bet on this?" Sirius said, smirking.

Alice gave up, stomping away to find her boyfriend.

Sirius stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Lily's shoulder (she immediately shrugged it off) and patting James's head affectionately. "I think James can be nice to you for longer than you can be nice to him, Lily. Ten galleons."

"I don't have ten galleons, Black!" Lily shrieked.

"Then don't buy new robes for a while. Those look great on you, anyway.." Sirius winked at her lewdly. "Or do you think you'll lose?"

Lily's competitive instincts flared up instantly. "Of course I won't lose!" She grabbed James's hand roughly, his face dumbstruck, and shook it once sharply.

* * *

At first it was simply ignoring each other in the hallway. She didn't look at him, he didn't look at her. But Sirius quickly solved that.

"You can't let him win, Lily! You have to play a little dirty. Be nice to him - so nice it'll surprise him and he'll say something rude before he can help it."

So the next day in Charms Lily Evans willingly walked up to James Potter and told him his hair looked really nice today, did he do something new to it? She said this without adding any snide comments, such as "Did you finally wash it?" which was very difficult for her.

James Potter reacted almost immediately (Sirius had given him the same pep talk) with "Yours looks just as beautiful as always, my dear Lily." She almost choked in astonishment, but managed a grateful smile before hurrying back to her chair.

And so it went on; the exchanging of trite compliments that they didn't really mean.

"Your robes look especially clean today, James." (She barely looked at his robes.)

"Your lip gloss looks very shiny today, Lily." (He didn't even really know what lip gloss was.)

"I love what you've done with your shoes." (They looked exactly the same as always.)

"You have to tell me how you get your hair so shiny." (..He really did not care.)

But in being forced to be nice to each other, the compliments started becoming more genuine.

"That shirt looks really nice with your eyes, Lily," James said one afternoon, surprising both himself and Lily.

She looked down at her green t-shirt in surprise. "Thanks, James," she said, her eyes softening.

The next day she told him that she actually liked his messy hair. And she was telling the truth.

And one of them still owes the other ten galleons, but since they never stopped with the compliments, they'll never know.

* * *

**This was based on something that happened to me; unfortunately I do not have my own James, though.**

**I still like to write about Harry Potter, but I get the feeling no one really reads much of it anymore.. Oh well. I have an idea for a Rose/Scorpius ****multi chapter that I really want to write, but I want to plan it first so that I won't just give up halfway through. But keep your eyes open for that! **

**Speaking of which I want to rewrite the only Rose/Scor chapter I have here, so don't read that one because it's awful.**

**Thank you for reading!  
xx Ella**


	13. Care

More than anything she hated him.

More than anything she couldn't stand him.

But more than anything she loved the way he'd shamelessly flirt with her and hug her from behind and laugh when she pretended she didn't like it. The way he'd constantly find a way to touch her and how he knew he could make her turn the color of a strawberry with one single wink.

They fought incessantly and often, in the middle of screaming at him, it occurred to her that she couldn't remember what they were fighting about.

But then she'd look at those sparkling eyes, and not knowing how else to express herself, would continue screaming.

He'd made her cry a hundred, a thousand times, but he'd made her laugh a million. And now it was up to her which one really mattered, wasn't it?

She wanted to strangle him until he turned blue sometimes.

She wanted him to grab her and kiss her until she couldn't remember anything but the feel of his lips on hers.

But she couldn't - wouldn't - ever voice those thoughts. So until one of them "grew a pair," as Al said, they had to express all those teenage hormones in the only way they knew how; screeching at each other at the top of their lungs until one of them gave up and pretended not to care.

Because Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy could do a lot of things between them, but the one thing they couldn't do was not care about each other.

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**Thank you for reading!**

**xx Ella**


	14. Pretend

_One day, you'll look, to see I've gone.._

Sirius Black is not a romantic. He never has been and never will be.

Marlene McKinnon is not a romantic either. She sometimes considers the possibility of becoming one. What would it be like to live your life in a perpetually dreamy state, always expecting the best from everyone, looking on the bright side of life? She doesn't know; she isn't Lily.

Marlene and Sirius are not going to last. She knows that; he knows that. Everyone has been saying that since they started whatever it is that they are in. She can't really call it a relationship.

Even Lily warned her gently (only Lily can warn someone gently) to maybe be a little careful. Compared to Lily and James (who finally realized how much they really just wanted to make out more than fight) and Alice and Frank (who are just the definition of a perfect couple), Sirius and Marlene aren't even close to a relationship.

Sometimes when she's planning her life after school (a flat in London, being a certified Healer by the time she's 25) she absently includes Sirius in her plans.

Sirius living with her, waking up next to him every morning, eating his awfully burnt bacon - she already knows he'll burn the bacon.

Then she reminds herself that they are Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon, and they will never last. She hears it from everyone. She pretends that there isn't even a sliver of hope that their "relationship" will continue after school - or even after this month.

She pretends even when he twirls her blonde hair around his finger, when he calls her "Marly" because no one else does that, when instead of making out or touching each other they are simply lying next to each other and she can feel his heart beat - she pretends that she has no real, long-term feelings for him.

Because Marlene McKinnon and Sirius Black may not be romantics, but they have always been pretenders.

_And now the time has come, and so my love I must go..._

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**Lyrics are from I'll Follow the Sun by the Beatles.**

**Thank you for reading! **

**xx Ella**


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